Method for manufacturing an embossed sheet comprising a ply of water-soluble material

Denis , et al. July 8, 2

Patent Grant 8771466

U.S. patent number 8,771,466 [Application Number 13/933,482] was granted by the patent office on 2014-07-08 for method for manufacturing an embossed sheet comprising a ply of water-soluble material. This patent grant is currently assigned to SCA Tissue France. The grantee listed for this patent is SCA Tissue France. Invention is credited to Yoann Denis, Hubert Pfister.


United States Patent 8,771,466
Denis ,   et al. July 8, 2014

Method for manufacturing an embossed sheet comprising a ply of water-soluble material

Abstract

The invention proposes an embossed sheet (10) comprising at least one ply (12) of tissue having an embossing pattern comprising at least one series of protuberances (18) formed projecting from one surface of the said ply (12) of tissue, and at least one ply joined to the said at least one ply (12) of tissue and located opposite the said surface of the ply (14) of water-soluble material, characterized in that the ply (14) of water-soluble material is joined to the said at least one ply (12) of tissue at the summits (18a) of at least part of the protuberances (18). The invention also proposes a method for manufacturing such a multi-ply sheet (10).


Inventors: Denis; Yoann (Selestat, FR), Pfister; Hubert (Rorschwihr, FR)
Applicant:
Name City State Country Type

SCA Tissue France

Bois-Colombes

N/A

FR
Assignee: SCA Tissue France (Saint-Ouen, FR)
Family ID: 39844042
Appl. No.: 13/933,482
Filed: July 2, 2013

Prior Publication Data

Document Identifier Publication Date
US 20130292072 A1 Nov 7, 2013

Related U.S. Patent Documents

Application Number Filing Date Patent Number Issue Date
12920776 8506756
PCT/FR2009/000231 Mar 4, 2009

Foreign Application Priority Data

Mar 6, 2008 [FR] 08 51455
Current U.S. Class: 162/117; 264/284; 162/124; 156/219; 162/125; 162/127; 156/209
Current CPC Class: B32B 29/06 (20130101); B32B 7/12 (20130101); D21H 27/02 (20130101); B31F 1/07 (20130101); B32B 27/10 (20130101); B32B 3/266 (20130101); B32B 27/306 (20130101); B32B 7/05 (20190101); D21H 27/30 (20130101); B31F 5/02 (20130101); B32B 3/28 (20130101); D21H 27/40 (20130101); B32B 27/12 (20130101); B32B 2307/7166 (20130101); Y10T 156/1039 (20150115); B31F 2201/0756 (20130101); B31F 2201/0761 (20130101); Y10T 428/24612 (20150115); B32B 2307/50 (20130101); B31F 2201/0787 (20130101); B31F 2201/0738 (20130101); B31F 2201/0733 (20130101); B32B 2307/726 (20130101); Y10T 156/1023 (20150115); B32B 2262/062 (20130101); B32B 2307/7265 (20130101); Y10T 428/31993 (20150401); Y10T 428/24479 (20150115); B31F 2201/0715 (20130101); B32B 2555/00 (20130101)
Current International Class: B31F 1/07 (20060101)
Field of Search: ;162/109,117,123-133,158,164.1,168.1 ;428/156,172,195.1,537.5 ;156/209,219 ;264/284

References Cited [Referenced By]

U.S. Patent Documents
1682346 August 1928 Lorenz
2117256 May 1938 Rafton
2123982 July 1938 Wiles
2142986 January 1939 Arnold, Jr.
2546705 March 1951 Strawinski
2755213 July 1956 Hedstrom
2797168 June 1957 Gimler
2824815 February 1958 Downs et al.
2897108 July 1959 Harwood
2897109 July 1959 Voigtman
2961367 November 1960 Weisgerber et al.
3084092 April 1963 Arlt, Jr.
3130111 April 1964 Izumi
3212961 October 1965 Weisgerber et al.
3261740 July 1966 Wells
3414459 December 1968 Wells
3546716 December 1970 Laumann
3554195 January 1971 Murdoch
3607348 September 1971 Wray et al.
3612054 October 1971 Matsuda et al.
3650882 March 1972 Thomas
3654064 April 1972 Laumann
3669822 June 1972 Cowen
3673060 June 1972 Murphy et al.
3684603 August 1972 Iltins
3833937 September 1974 Taylor
3867225 February 1975 Nystrand
3868205 February 1975 Thomas
3916447 November 1975 Thompson
3925127 December 1975 Yoshioka
3926700 December 1975 Hopkins, Jr. et al.
3953638 April 1976 Kemp
3960272 June 1976 Hartbauer et al.
3978553 September 1976 Honig
4018647 April 1977 Wietsma
4071651 January 1978 Hicklin et al.
4074959 February 1978 Curry et al.
4075382 February 1978 Chapman et al.
4100017 July 1978 Flautt, Jr.
4113911 September 1978 LaFitte et al.
4117199 September 1978 Gotoh et al.
4145464 March 1979 McConnell et al.
4196245 April 1980 Kitson et al.
4276339 June 1981 Stoveken
4287251 September 1981 King et al.
4288877 September 1981 Klepfer
4302853 December 1981 Mesek
4330888 May 1982 Klepfer
4349610 September 1982 Parker
4377615 March 1983 Suzuki et al.
4447484 May 1984 Slosberg et al.
4469735 September 1984 Trokhan
4489118 December 1984 Endres et al.
4537822 August 1985 Nanri et al.
4559243 December 1985 Passler et al.
4574021 March 1986 Endres et al.
4601938 July 1986 Deacon et al.
4610915 September 1986 Crenshaw et al.
4618524 October 1986 Groitzsch et al.
4637949 January 1987 Manning et al.
4648876 March 1987 Becker et al.
4657538 April 1987 Becker et al.
4657946 April 1987 Rende et al.
4660224 April 1987 Ashcraft
4695422 September 1987 Curro et al.
4786367 November 1988 Bogart et al.
4788100 November 1988 Janssen et al.
4789564 December 1988 Kanner et al.
4806183 February 1989 Williams
4816320 March 1989 St. Cyr
4885202 December 1989 Lloyd et al.
4924527 May 1990 Hintermeyer
4927588 May 1990 Schulz
4938515 July 1990 Fazio
4950545 August 1990 Walter et al.
4987632 January 1991 Rowe et al.
5062158 November 1991 Oka et al.
5093068 March 1992 Schulz
5128182 July 1992 Bunker et al.
5158523 October 1992 Houk et al.
5167766 December 1992 Honig et al.
5171808 December 1992 Ryles et al.
5173351 December 1992 Ruppel et al.
5180471 January 1993 Sauer et al.
5196244 March 1993 Beck
5223096 June 1993 Phan et al.
5227242 July 1993 Walter et al.
5252754 October 1993 Bottorff
5260536 November 1993 Peery
5397435 March 1995 Ostendorf et al.
5399366 March 1995 Geddes et al.
5407537 April 1995 Malatesta et al.
5437766 August 1995 Van Phan et al.
5437908 August 1995 Demura et al.
5443889 August 1995 Ruppel et al.
5449551 September 1995 Taniguchi
5456968 October 1995 Jones
5467936 November 1995 Moody
5503919 April 1996 Litchholt et al.
5514435 May 1996 Suzuki et al.
5543202 August 1996 Clark et al.
5550167 August 1996 DesMarais
5552187 September 1996 Green et al.
5552200 September 1996 Gureff
5560945 October 1996 Geddes et al.
5562805 October 1996 Kamps et al.
5563179 October 1996 Stone et al.
5571849 November 1996 DesMarais
5578369 November 1996 Nohr et al.
5582674 December 1996 Patterson et al.
5585129 December 1996 Geddes et al.
5595807 January 1997 Gooding, Jr. et al.
5601871 February 1997 Krzysik et al.
5601930 February 1997 Mehta et al.
5609901 March 1997 Geddes et al.
5614293 March 1997 Krzysik et al.
5622734 April 1997 Clark et al.
5635201 June 1997 Fabo
5635279 June 1997 Ma et al.
5650218 July 1997 Krzysik et al.
5658639 August 1997 Curro et al.
5665426 September 1997 Krzysik et al.
5693406 December 1997 Wegele et al.
5695487 December 1997 Cohen et al.
5695608 December 1997 Yagi et al.
5698291 December 1997 Clark et al.
5716692 February 1998 Warner et al.
5736223 April 1998 Laurent
5766736 June 1998 Baumuller
5792404 August 1998 Cree et al.
5830558 November 1998 Barnholtz
5849000 December 1998 Anjur et al.
5851352 December 1998 Vinson et al.
5858173 January 1999 Propst, Jr.
5858554 January 1999 Neal et al.
5864878 February 1999 Mashrick
5882464 March 1999 Theisgen et al.
5885697 March 1999 Krzysik et al.
5904812 May 1999 Salman et al.
5906711 May 1999 Barnholtz
5919556 July 1999 Barnholtz
5930836 August 1999 Morris
5932316 August 1999 Cree et al.
5968853 October 1999 Kelly et al.
5990377 November 1999 Chen et al.
6015935 January 2000 LaVon et al.
6025049 February 2000 Ouellette et al.
6027611 February 2000 McFarland et al.
6030497 February 2000 Watkins, Jr.
6045900 April 2000 Haffner et al.
6046378 April 2000 Quincy, III et al.
6054020 April 2000 Goulet et al.
6066379 May 2000 Ma et al.
6074525 June 2000 Richards
6107539 August 2000 Palumbo et al.
6129972 October 2000 McNeil et al.
6132803 October 2000 Kelly et al.
6136422 October 2000 Lichtenberg et al.
6149769 November 2000 Mohammadi et al.
6159339 December 2000 Hassler et al.
6162327 December 2000 Batra et al.
6165585 December 2000 Trokhan
6180052 January 2001 Ouellette et al.
6180214 January 2001 Nissing et al.
6182290 February 2001 Morris
6187141 February 2001 Takeuchi et al.
6187695 February 2001 Krzysik et al.
6203889 March 2001 Quincy, III et al.
6207734 March 2001 Vinson et al.
6221211 April 2001 Hollenberg et al.
6231948 May 2001 Ouellette et al.
6232521 May 2001 Bewick-Sonntag et al.
6238519 May 2001 Jones et al.
6267842 July 2001 Ona et al.
6270875 August 2001 Nissing
6277226 August 2001 Schulz
6286145 September 2001 Welchel et al.
6300409 October 2001 Lau et al.
6309731 October 2001 Takeuchi et al.
6328850 December 2001 Phan et al.
6332952 December 2001 Hsu et al.
6334220 January 2002 Frye
6372035 April 2002 Juppo et al.
6372064 April 2002 Butterworth et al.
6379497 April 2002 Sandstrom et al.
6383960 May 2002 Everett et al.
6402871 June 2002 Canary
6403858 June 2002 Quincy, III et al.
6416624 July 2002 Nielsen et al.
6416628 July 2002 Huang et al.
6427240 August 2002 Royal
6436234 August 2002 Chen et al.
6439388 August 2002 Lerner
6440268 August 2002 Baggot et al.
6444091 September 2002 Ward et al.
6454693 September 2002 Harlacher et al.
6454902 September 2002 Chen
6458243 October 2002 Jones et al.
6464829 October 2002 Chen et al.
6478927 November 2002 Chen et al.
6490731 December 2002 Hyatt
6494990 December 2002 Bazaj et al.
6537407 March 2003 Law et al.
6544386 April 2003 Krzysik et al.
6548427 April 2003 Shannon et al.
6551691 April 2003 Hoeft et al.
6572722 June 2003 Pratt
6573203 June 2003 McConnell et al.
6576049 June 2003 Dilts et al.
6585859 July 2003 Hangkansson
6589634 July 2003 Schultz et al.
6599614 July 2003 Roussel et al.
6602387 August 2003 Loughran et al.
6607630 August 2003 Bartman et al.
6607636 August 2003 Ross et al.
6616806 September 2003 Chen
6635134 October 2003 Lichtenberg et al.
6649025 November 2003 Mills et al.
6656569 December 2003 Roussel et al.
6656596 December 2003 Gardner, Jr.
6666952 December 2003 Dilts et al.
6673983 January 2004 Graef et al.
6716312 April 2004 Kehrer et al.
6722606 April 2004 Hanson et al.
6723204 April 2004 Van Handel et al.
6727004 April 2004 Goulet et al.
6733608 May 2004 Baggot et al.
6733866 May 2004 Muller
6746558 June 2004 Hoeft et al.
6755928 June 2004 Biagiotti
6755938 June 2004 Kehrer et al.
6758923 July 2004 Butterworth et al.
6758943 July 2004 McConnell et al.
6773647 August 2004 McGuire et al.
6805766 October 2004 Roussel et al.
6811652 November 2004 Hollmark
6824649 November 2004 Jewell et al.
6827819 December 2004 Dwiggins et al.
6837972 January 2005 Marsh
6863107 March 2005 Hein et al.
6884494 April 2005 Curro et al.
6896766 May 2005 Sarbo et al.
6896767 May 2005 Wilhelm
6896768 May 2005 Dwiggins et al.
6911573 June 2005 Chen et al.
6913673 July 2005 Baggot et al.
6916403 July 2005 Basler et al.
6919111 July 2005 Swoboda et al.
6924042 August 2005 Von Paleske
6936330 August 2005 Fereshtehkhou et al.
6939441 September 2005 Nurminen et al.
6949167 September 2005 Shannon et al.
6964725 November 2005 Shannon et al.
6992028 January 2006 Thomaschefsky et al.
7026037 April 2006 Lefebvre Du Grosriez et al.
7029546 April 2006 Basler et al.
7063766 June 2006 Saarvali et al.
7214633 May 2007 Sun et al.
7250448 July 2007 Walchuk et al.
7282273 October 2007 Murphy et al.
7300547 November 2007 Luu et al.
7381299 June 2008 Shannon et al.
7497923 March 2009 Ward et al.
7507781 March 2009 Walchuk et al.
7662257 February 2010 Edwards et al.
7666272 February 2010 Williams et al.
7666273 February 2010 Williams et al.
7794566 September 2010 Edwards et al.
7799169 September 2010 Bhat et al.
8506756 August 2013 Denis et al.
2001/0009180 July 2001 Welch et al.
2001/0051687 December 2001 Bazaj et al.
2002/0060000 May 2002 Du Grosriez et al.
2002/0088578 July 2002 Jones et al.
2002/0096280 July 2002 Jones et al.
2002/0096282 July 2002 Leibler et al.
2002/0103469 August 2002 Chen et al.
2002/0114933 August 2002 Gould
2002/0170649 November 2002 Butterworth et al.
2002/0195218 December 2002 Chen
2003/0008109 January 2003 Basler et al.
2003/0021952 January 2003 Zink et al.
2003/0021953 January 2003 Graff
2003/0026953 February 2003 Muller
2003/0045844 March 2003 Taylor et al.
2003/0056917 March 2003 Jimenez
2003/0070782 April 2003 Proverb et al.
2003/0075262 April 2003 Hein et al.
2003/0075292 April 2003 Kehrer et al.
2003/0111196 June 2003 Hu
2003/0111198 June 2003 Hu
2003/0116292 June 2003 Hollmark
2003/0116294 June 2003 Kehrer et al.
2003/0119397 June 2003 Von Paleske
2003/0121628 July 2003 Mills et al.
2003/0121629 July 2003 Hu
2003/0121632 July 2003 Nurminen et al.
2003/0121633 July 2003 Spence et al.
2003/0127203 July 2003 Hu
2003/0129363 July 2003 Hoeft et al.
2003/0131960 July 2003 McConnell et al.
2003/0152724 August 2003 Swoboda et al.
2003/0188840 October 2003 Van Handel et al.
2003/0192664 October 2003 Kulick et al.
2003/0201083 October 2003 Marsh
2003/0203195 October 2003 Marsh
2003/0205165 November 2003 Thornton et al.
2003/0205167 November 2003 Dilts et al.
2003/0215602 November 2003 Andersson et al.
2004/0003905 January 2004 Hilbig et al.
2004/0009327 January 2004 Saarvali et al.
2004/0018369 January 2004 Goulet et al.
2004/0020614 February 2004 Lindsay et al.
2004/0038006 February 2004 Biagiotti
2004/0044320 March 2004 Kainth et al.
2004/0045685 March 2004 Horner et al.
2004/0048542 March 2004 Thomaschefsky et al.
2004/0055721 March 2004 Hilbig et al.
2004/0060664 April 2004 Lichtenberg et al.
2004/0062916 April 2004 Mansson et al.
2004/0089433 May 2004 Propst et al.
2004/0102528 May 2004 Walchuk et al.
2004/0118532 June 2004 Sarbo et al.
2004/0123963 July 2004 Chen et al.
2004/0140047 July 2004 Sato et al.
2004/0163783 August 2004 Muller
2004/0166290 August 2004 Sembritzki et al.
2004/0200590 October 2004 Wilhelm
2004/0206274 October 2004 Kruckel
2004/0206445 October 2004 Butterworth et al.
2004/0206467 October 2004 Lindgren et al.
2004/0221976 November 2004 Williams et al.
2004/0250969 December 2004 Luu et al.
2005/0034826 February 2005 Hu
2005/0034828 February 2005 Graff et al.
2005/0069679 March 2005 Stelljes et al.
2005/0069680 March 2005 Stelljes et al.
2005/0098281 May 2005 Schulz et al.
2005/0098286 May 2005 Williams et al.
2005/0103456 May 2005 Hein et al.
2005/0124704 June 2005 Rasheed et al.
2005/0155731 July 2005 Martin et al.
2005/0178515 August 2005 Ryan et al.
2005/0224200 October 2005 Bouchard et al.
2005/0230069 October 2005 Hilbig et al.
2005/0241788 November 2005 Baggot et al.
2005/0247397 November 2005 Kraus et al.
2005/0251098 November 2005 Wyss et al.
2005/0257879 November 2005 Fisher et al.
2005/0263234 December 2005 Shih
2005/0274470 December 2005 Shannon et al.
2005/0276956 December 2005 Zink et al.
2005/0287340 December 2005 Morelli et al.
2006/0005916 January 2006 Stelljes et al.
2006/0013998 January 2006 Stelljes, et al.
2006/0037512 February 2006 Pawlowska et al.
2006/0042767 March 2006 Bhat et al.
2006/0062972 March 2006 Lefebvre Du Grosriez et al.
2006/0070712 April 2006 Runge et al.
2006/0144541 July 2006 Joy Nickel et al.
2006/0191656 August 2006 Buzza et al.
2006/0231224 October 2006 Gelli et al.
2006/0269706 November 2006 Shannon et al.
2006/0289136 December 2006 Doherty et al.
2006/0289137 December 2006 Gelman et al.
2007/0062658 March 2007 Wiwi et al.
2008/0003384 January 2008 Murphy et al.
2008/0044644 February 2008 Luu et al.
2008/0156449 July 2008 Williams et al.
2008/0236773 October 2008 Gelli et al.
2008/0248284 October 2008 Williams et al.
2008/0265222 October 2008 Ozersky et al.
2009/0162611 June 2009 Ward et al.
2010/0147473 June 2010 Ward et al.
2010/0212848 August 2010 Hilbig et al.
2010/0272965 October 2010 Schinkoreit et al.
2010/0326613 December 2010 Denis et al.
2011/0020618 January 2011 Brennan et al.
2013/0292072 November 2013 Denis et al.
2014/0000830 January 2014 Gelli et al.
Foreign Patent Documents
10342201 Apr 2005 DE
0097036 Dec 1983 EP
0144658 Jun 1985 EP
0436170 Jul 1991 EP
0476976 Mar 1992 EP
1103522 May 2001 EP
1632604 Mar 2006 EP
2075452 Oct 1971 FR
2321389 Mar 1977 FR
2928383 Sep 2009 FR
2928383 Sep 2009 FR
1059746 Feb 1967 GB
1185227 Mar 1970 GB
2119709 Nov 1983 GB
2376436 Dec 2002 GB
2380447 Apr 2003 GB
2008/272267 Nov 2008 JP
WO-98/40207 Sep 1998 WO
WO-98/42289 Oct 1998 WO
WO-00/00698 Jan 2000 WO
WO-00/15907 Mar 2000 WO
WO-01/12902 Feb 2001 WO
WO-0114143 Mar 2001 WO
WO-02/12622 Feb 2002 WO
WO-2004/044320 May 2004 WO
WO-2006/044117 Apr 2006 WO
WO 2009115705 Sep 2009 WO
WO-2010/011646 Jan 2010 WO

Other References

Papermaking and Paperboard Making, Roland G. MacDonald & John N. Franklin, eds., 50-55 (2nd ed., 1970). cited by applicant .
C. O. Au and I. Thorn in "Applications of Wet-End Paper Chemistry"', 1995, Blackie Academic & Professional an imprint of Chapman & Hall, First edition, pp. 102-119. cited by applicant .
Hardell, Hanne-Lise at al., "A New Method for the Analysis of AKD Oligomers in Papermaking Systems," 17 Nordic Pulp and Paper Research Journal 3, 340-345 (2002). cited by applicant .
Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority that issued in PCT/FR2009/000231 on Aug. 29, 2006. cited by applicant.

Primary Examiner: Fortuna; Jose
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Parent Case Text



RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/920,776, filed Sep. 2, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,506,756 which is a national stage filing based on PCT International Application No. PCT/FR2009/000231, filed on Mar. 4, 2009, which claims priority to French Application No. 0851455, filed on Mar. 6, 2008, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Claims



The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing an embossed sheet comprising at least one ply of tissue and at least one ply of water-soluble material, the method comprising the steps of: embossing said at least one ply of tissue to form protuberances on one surface of said at least one ply of tissue; humidifying summits of the protuberances of at least part of the protuberances; and joining said at least one ply of water-soluble material to the summits of said at least part of the protuberances of said at least one ply of tissue to cause a local dissolution of the surface of the ply of water-soluble material upon its contact with the humidified summits.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the summits of the protuberances of said at least part of the protuberances are coated with adhesive before joining the ply of water-soluble material to said at least one ply of tissue.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the ply of water-soluble material located opposite the ply of tissue is humidified locally before joining the ply of water-soluble material to said at least one ply of tissue.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said surface of the ply of water-soluble material is humidified at the summits of the protuberances of said at least one ply of tissue.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ply of water soluble material is embossed before its joining to said at least one ply of tissue.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the ply of water-soluble material comprises perforations and/or micro-perforations which are produced before embossing the ply of water-soluble material.

7. A method for manufacturing an embossed sheet comprising at least one first ply of tissue, at least one second ply of tissue, and at least one ply of water-soluble material arranged between said at least one first ply of tissue and said at least one second ply of tissue, the method comprising the steps of: embossing said at least one first ply of tissue to form protuberances on one surface of said at least one first ply of tissue; embossing said at least one second ply of tissue to form protuberances on one surface of said at least one second ply of tissue; humidifying summits of the protuberances of at least part of the protuberances on said at least one first ply of tissue and on said at least one second ply of tissue; and simultaneously joining the at least one ply of water-soluble material to said at least one first ply of tissue and to said at least one second ply of tissue to cause a local dissolution of the surface of the at least one ply of water-soluble material upon its contact with the humidified summits.
Description



The invention proposes an embossed sheet comprising at least one ply of tissue and at least one ply of water-soluble material.

The invention proposes more particularly an embossed sheet comprising at least one ply of tissue having an embossing pattern comprising at least one series of protuberances formed and projecting from one surface of the said ply of tissue, and comprising at least one ply of water-soluble material.

The ply of water-soluble material is prepared so as to form a impermeable barrier to liquids, microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses contained in these liquids.

The function called "impermeable" of the barrier formed by the water-soluble ply consists here in temporarily preventing the liquids from passing through the said ply.

Thus, the use of a ply of water-soluble material, in combination with at least one ply of tissue, serves to obtain a product comprising, on the one hand, the absorbent properties of the tissue ply and, on the other, the waterproofness procured by the ply of water-soluble material.

These properties are particularly advantageous for the use of a paper product as a facial tissue or as bathroom tissue, because the bacteria and/or viruses cannot be transferred to the user's hand.

Moreover, when the paper product is used as bathroom tissue, each of the various plies constituting the paper product is suitable for being dispersed in the water, when the product is discarded into the toilet, without the risk of blocking the pipes.

Document GB-B-1 185 227 describes such a paper product, for which the ply of water-soluble material is prepared by hot extrusion and is hot bonded to the tissue plies discharged from the extruder, so that the tissue plies partly absorb the water-soluble material which has not yet hardened.

However, such a manufacturing method is relatively complicated to set up, and this document does not specifically describe the connection between the ply of water-soluble material and each ply of tissue.

It is the object of the invention to propose a paper product comprising a ply of water-soluble material which is joined to at least one ply of tissue so that the product has the usual properties of such a paper product.

For this purpose, the invention proposes an embossed sheet of the type described previously, characterized in that the ply of water-soluble material is joined to the said at least one ply of tissue at the summits of at least part of the protuberances.

According to other features of the sheet according to the invention, taken separately or in combination: the ply of water-soluble material is joined to the said at least one ply of tissue by local dissolution of the ply of water-soluble material, at the summits of the said at least part of the protuberances, to which the ply of water-soluble material is joined; the surface of the ply of water-soluble material is suitable for being dissolved for the joining of the ply of water-soluble material to the said at least one ply of tissue; the ply of water-soluble material is suitable for being dissolved locally by a water-based liquid; the liquid comprises water and an additive; the liquid is water; each of the said summits of the said at least part of the protuberances is suitable for being humidified before the joining of the ply of tissue to the ply of water-soluble material, to cause the partial dissolution of the ply of water-soluble material at the contact with the said summit of the said at least part of the protuberances; the ply of water-soluble material is joined to the said at least one ply of tissue by adhesion of the water-soluble material to the said summits of the said at least part of the protuberances; the sheet comprises at least two plies of tissue each having an embossing pattern which comprises at least one series of protuberances oriented inwardly from the sheet and the ply of water-soluble material is arranged between the said at least two plies of tissue and is joined to each of the said two plies at the summits of at least part of the protuberances of each of the said two plies of tissue; the ply of water-soluble material is based on an at least partially hydrolysed polyvinyl alcohol; the ply of water-soluble material is based on an at least 90% hydrolysed polyvinyl alcohol; the thickness of the ply of water-soluble material is less than 25 .mu.m; the ply of water-soluble material is embossed and comprises at least one series of protuberances; the ply of water-soluble material comprises perforations and/or micro-perforations.

It is a further object of the invention to propose a method for manufacturing an embossed sheet according to the invention, comprising at least one ply of tissue and at least one ply of water-soluble material,

characterized in that it consists in embossing at least one ply of tissue to form protuberances on one surface of the said at least one ply of tissue and then in joining the ply of water-soluble material to the summits of at least part of the protuberances of the said at least one ply of tissue.

According to other features of the method, taken separately or in combination: the summits of the protuberances of the said at least part of the protuberances are coated with adhesive before the joining of the ply of water-soluble material to the said at least one ply of tissue; the summits of the protuberances of the said at least part of the protuberances are humidified before the joining of the ply of water-soluble material to the summits of the protuberances to cause a local dissolution of the surface of the ply of water-soluble material upon its contact with the humidified summits; the surface of the ply of water-soluble material located opposite the ply of tissue is humidified locally before the joining of the ply of water-soluble material to the said at least one ply of tissue; the said surface of the ply of water-soluble material is humidified at the summits of the protuberances of the said at least one ply of tissue; the ply of water-soluble material is embossed before its joining to the said at least one ply of tissue; the ply of water-soluble material comprises perforations and/or micro-perforations which are produced before the embossing of the ply of water-soluble material; the method is suitable for manufacturing a sheet which comprises at least one first and at least one second ply of tissue between which the ply of water-soluble material is arranged, and the ply of water-soluble material is joined simultaneously to the said at least one first ply of tissue and to the said at least one second ply of tissue during an operation for joining the plies.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from a reading of the detailed description that follows, for an understanding of which reference should be made to the appended figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an embossed sheet according to the invention comprising two plies of tissue and an intermediate ply of water-soluble material;

FIG. 2 shows a section of the sheet shown in FIG. 1, showing the protuberances of the plies;

FIG. 3 shows a section of the sheet comprising a single ply of tissue and one ply of water-soluble material;

FIG. 4 shows a similar section to that of FIG. 2, showing an alternative embodiment of the invention, for which the ply of water-soluble material comprises protuberances;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of an installation for producing an embossed sheet according to the invention as shown in FIG. 3

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show a paper product 10 such as an embossed sheet comprising a plurality of superimposed plies 12, 14

The sheet 10 is, for example, a sheet of bathroom tissue or a disposable facial tissue.

In a first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet 10 comprises two plies 12 of tissue and one ply 14 prepared from water-soluble material arranged between the two tissue plies 12.

In a second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the sheet 10 comprises a ply 12 of tissue and a ply 14 prepared from water-soluble material.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments of the embossed sheet 10, which may comprise a larger number of plies 12 of tissue and/or a larger number of plies 14 of water-soluble material.

Furthermore, a ply 12 of tissue may comprise a group of plies joined together so as to behave like a single ply.

Each ply 12 of tissue is prepared in a conventional manner, for example by conventional wet pressing called CWP, and its basis weight is adapted to the use of the sheet, for example the basis weight of the tissue ply 12 is between 12 and 30 g/m.sup.2.

The ply 14 of water-soluble material is prepared from a material suitable for being dissolved after prolonged contact with water. It consists of a plastic, preferably a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) which is a polyvinyl acetate (PVAc), that has been hydrolysed to become water-soluble.

A modification of the hydrolysis rate of the ply 14 of water-soluble material serves to modify the time required for the dissolution of the ply 14 of water-soluble material. Thus, it is possible to adjust this hydrolysis rate according to the desired properties of the sheet 10.

Preferably, the hydrolysis rate of the plastic is higher than ninety percent (90%)

Another property of the water-soluble material used to form the ply 14 further consists in that the material is non-porous and is suitable for forming a sealed barrier to liquids, before its dissolution.

Thus, the liquids and microorganisms such as bacteria and/or viruses applied to one surface of the sheet 10 cannot be transferred to the other surface of the sheet which is, for example, in contact with the user's hand, thereby serving to ensure a hygienic use of the sheet 10, in particular when the sheet 10 is used as a facial tissue or bathroom tissue, as previously mentioned.

The thickness of the ply 14 of water-soluble material is preferably lower than 25 .mu.m.

Finally, according to an alternative embodiment of the embossed sheet 10, the ply 14 of water-soluble material comprises perforations and/or micro-perforations.

These perforations and/or micro-perforations serve in particular to increase the absorption rate of the sheet 10 and to improve its flexibility.

The sheet 10 is an embossed sheet, that is at least one of the plies 12, 14 comprises at least one embossing pattern.

According to a common definition, embossing is a mechanical operation of deformation which modifies the relief of a sheet.

According to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each ply 12 of tissue comprises an embossing pattern 16 which extends over part of the surface of the ply 12 and which comprises a plurality of protuberances 18 oriented inwardly from the sheet 10

Furthermore, according to these embodiments, the ply 14 of water-soluble material is flat, that is it does not comprise any embossing pattern

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the ply 12 of tissue and the ply 14 of water-soluble material each comprise an embossing pattern composed of a plurality of protuberances 18, 20.

Here, each ply 12, 14 comprises a single embossing pattern and the relief of the protuberances caused by the embossing is identical for the two plies 12, 14.

According to an alternative embodiment, at least one ply 12, 14 comprises a plurality of embossing patterns 16, forming for example a background pattern and a main pattern.

The height and density of the protuberances 18, 20 of a pattern 16 may be different from the height of the protuberances 18, 20 of the other pattern 16, thereby serving to procure for the sheet 10 desired properties of softness, absorption and flexibility.

Furthermore, here, the plies 12, 14 are joined together by a joining mode known by the designation points/points, that is, in such a way that the summits 18a, 20a of the protuberances of each of the plies 12, 14 are caused to coincide.

According to an alternative embodiment, not shown, the plies 12, 14 may be joined by the technique called "nested", for which the protuberances are imbricated.

According to the invention, each ply 12 of tissue is joined to the ply 14 of water-soluble material at the summits 18a of at least part of the protuberances 18.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the joining of each ply 12 of tissue to the ply 14 of water-soluble material is carried out by bonding all or part of the summits 18a of the protuberances 18 of each ply 12 of tissue to the opposite surface 14a of the ply 14 of water-soluble material.

Preferably, the bonding takes place by depositing adhesive on all or part of the summits 18a of the protuberances 18 before the plies 12, 14 are contacted with one another.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the joining of each ply 12 of tissue to the ply 14 of water-soluble material is carried out by partial dissolution of the ply 14 of water-soluble material, at the summits 18a of the protuberances 18.

The partial dissolution of the ply 14 of water-soluble material is obtained by locally applying a water-based liquid to the ply 14 of water-soluble material.

The water-soluble material has the cohesion, or the behaviour, of a solid when it is dehydrated, and the cohesion of a viscous liquid when it is hydrated, that is when it is mixed with water.

When the summit 18a of a protuberance of the ply 12 of tissue is in contact with the partially dissolved zone of the ply 14 of water-soluble material, the summit 18a absorbs part of the dissolved water-soluble material. The tissue and the water-soluble material are thereby mixed.

Then, the two plies are joined together by pressing and then by natural or forced dehydration so that the contact zones between the plies 12, 14 become joining zones between the said plies following the cohesion thereby created

According to a first embodiment, the product used to cause the partial dissolution of the water-soluble material is exclusively water, so that the ply 12 of tissue is joined to the ply 14 of water-soluble material exclusively by the quantity of water-soluble material that has been dissolved.

According to an alternative embodiment, the product used to cause the partial dissolution of the water-soluble material consists of a mixture of water and an additive such as adhesive, which serves to improve the joining of the ply 12 of tissue to the ply 14 of water-soluble material.

Furthermore, the quantity of liquid used to cause a local dissolution of the ply 14 of water-soluble material, is determined so that only the outer surface of the ply 14 of water-soluble material is dissolved, that is a central portion, in the thickness of the ply 14 of water-soluble material, is not dissolved. This serves in particular to preserve the impermeability function of the ply 14 of water-soluble material over its whole surface.

Such a feature of dissolution of the ply 14 of water-soluble material exclusively on the surface is preferably obtained by first humidifying the summits 18a of the protuberances 18, so that the quantity of liquid that dissolves the ply 14 of water-soluble material is limited, and the dissolution occurs when each ply 12 of tissue is placed in contact with the ply 14 of water-soluble material.

The ply 14 of water-soluble material is thereby placed in contact with the bonding liquid for a limited period of time.

When the ply 14 of water-soluble material is arranged between two plies 12 of tissue, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each surface of the ply 14 of water-soluble material is joined to a ply 12 of tissue according to the invention, that is, the ply 14 of water-soluble material is joined to summits 18a of protuberances 18 of a ply 12 of tissue, which extends inwardly from the sheet 10, towards the ply 14 of water-soluble material.

By contrast, when the ply 14 of water-soluble material is joined to a single ply 12 of tissue, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, only one surface of the ply 14 of water-soluble material is joined to the ply 12 of tissue according to the invention, that is, the surface of the ply 14 of water-soluble material located opposite the ply 12 of tissue is joined to the summits 18a of all or part of the protuberances 18 of the said ply 12 of tissue.

FIG. 5 shows an installation for producing a sheet according to the invention.

This installation is constructed here in order to produce a sheet 10 comprising a single ply 12 of tissue which is embossed, and comprising a ply 14 of water-soluble material which is flat, as shown in FIG. 4.

The installation comprises an engraved embossing roller 22 of which the convex outer cylindrical surface 22a comprises a series of pins 24 formed in relief and of which the form or outer profile is identical to that which is to be obtained for each corresponding protuberance 18 of the ply 12 of tissue.

In a manner known per se, the ply 12 of tissue first passes between the first engraved roller 22 and an associated roller 26 to produce the embossing pattern of this ply 12. The associated roller 26 may have a rubber coating or similar, or optionally a rigid coating having a hardness lower than the hardness of the engraved roller 22.

The ply 12 of tissue then passes in front of the applicator roller 28 belonging to a coating unit 30, of known design, which deposits a bonding product on the summits 18a of the protuberances 18.

The coating unit 30 serves to deposit the bonding product on all the summits 18a of the protuberances 18, or on only part of the summits 18a of the protuberances 18, in particular on the summits 18a of the protuberances 18 which are the highest when the ply of tissue comprises a plurality of embossing patterns 16 having different heights.

According to the invention, and as previously described, the bonding product may be adhesive, water or a mixture of water with a binder, and is referred to below by the term bonding product.

In a manner known per se, the coating installation comprises an engraved roller 34, commonly called "anilox", of which the cylindrical surface comprises cavities (not shown) which are suitable for being filled with bonding product, during the passage thereof in front of a tank 36 for then transferring the bonding product to the applicator roller 28.

The anilox 34 serves to transfer the bonding product in a predefined and controlled manner onto the applicator roller 28. This serves to limit the quantity of bonding product in motion.

The cavities of the anilox 34 are preferably such as to have a volume of between 3 and 40 cm.sup.3/m.sup.2.

The ply 14 of water-soluble material is then placed in contact with the ply 12 of tissue.

Then, the two plies 12 and 14 pass into a "nip" between the embossing roller 22 and a roller 32, called marrying roller, to associate the plies 12, 14 by the pressure of the marrying roller 32 against the embossing roller 22.

Thus, the method for manufacturing an embossed sheet 10 according to the invention via this installation comprises a first step of embossing of the ply 12 of tissue, to produce at least one embossing pattern 16 consisting of protuberances 18 on one surface of the said ply 12.

This embossing step is implemented by the cooperation of the engraved roller 22 with the associated roller 26.

This method also comprises a step of joining the ply 12 of tissue to the ply 14 of water-soluble material, here by cooperation of the engraved roller 22 with the marrying roller 32.

According to the invention, the step of embossing the ply 12 of tissue is implemented before the step of joining the ply 12 of tissue to the ply 14 of water-soluble material. Moreover, also according to the invention, the bonding step consists in joining the ply 12 of tissue to the ply 14 of water-soluble material at the summits 18a of the protuberances 18.

For this purpose, the coating installation 30 deposits the bonding product before the joining of the ply 12 of tissue to the ply 14 of water-soluble material.

Thus, when the bonding product is water-based, the ply 14 of water-soluble material is only locally dissolved when it is placed in contact with the ply 12 of tissue of which the summits 18a of the protuberances 18 have been humidified.

This serves to limit and control the extent of the dissolution of the ply 14 of water-soluble material, so as to avoid weakening its properties excessively, particularly the impermeability properties.

According to an alternative embodiment of the method of the invention, the bonding product is applied to the ply 14 of water-soluble material, before its joining to the ply 12 of tissue.

The installation is then modified accordingly, that is, the coating installation 30 is arranged to apply the bonding product directly to the ply 14 of water-soluble material.

When the ply 14 of water-soluble material passes opposite the ply 12 of tissue, the latter has been formed to have the properties previously mentioned, that is, the material has been partly hydrolysed.

Furthermore, in the case in which the ply 14 of water-soluble material comprises perforations or micro-perforations, they are generally produced before the ply 14 of water-soluble material reaches the installation as described previously.

Preferably, the micro-perforations in the context of the present invention have a density lower than 150/cm.sup.2 and their diameter is smaller than 1 mm.

Moreover, according to the embodiment of the embossed sheet 10 according to which the ply 14 of water-soluble material is also embossed, as shown in FIG. 4, the embossing is carried out before it is placed in contact with the ply 12 of tissue. For this purpose, the installation comprises an additional embossing unit (not shown).

The same applies for manufacturing the embossed sheet shown in FIG. 2, which comprises two plies 12 of tissue between which the ply 14 of water-soluble material is arranged.

The installation then comprises an engraved roller 22 and a coating unit 30 as described previously, associated with each ply 12 of tissue.

The ply 14 of water-soluble material is then placed opposite each of the two plies 12 of tissue, for it to be arranged between them.

Then, all the plies 12, 14 pass simultaneously in front of the matching roller 32 in order to associate the ply 14 of water-soluble material simultaneously with the two plies 12 of tissue.

The embossed sheet according to the invention thereby procures better temporary protection in comparison with a "conventional" sheet, that is one which does not comprise a ply of water-soluble material, and preserves conventional disintegration properties after use, that is, when it is discarded into the discharge lines of sanitary facilities.

The comparative table below shows the results of various measurements between a multi-ply sheet, for use as bathroom tissue, of which the design is called "conventional", and which comprises three plies of tissue, and a multi-ply sheet according to the invention.

More precisely, the multi-ply sheet called "conventional three-ply paper" in the table comprises two outer plies of the CWP type and one central ply having a mechanical strength greater than that of the two outer plies.

The multi-ply sheet called "invention" in the table is manufactured according to the invention, and differs from the sheet called "conventional three-ply paper" only in terms of the central ply, which consists here of a ply of water-soluble material.

TABLE-US-00001 Conventional three-ply bathroom tissue Invention Thickness As such 0.354 .+-. 0.006 0.524 .+-. 0.030 (mm) In 12 plies 0.323 .+-. 0.003 0.491 .+-. 0.013 Absorption Capacity 9.3 11.8 (g/g) Time (s) 4 5 Disintegration (s) 8 20 to 25 Strength (N/m) -- -- MD dry 199 .+-. 7 >899 MD wet 4.7 .+-. 0.7** 8.0 .+-. 1.1 (12.9 .+-. 1.4)** CD dry 81 .+-. 5 281 .+-. 10 CD wet -- -- MD elongation % 19 25 to 73

It appears that all the measured parameters are improved, in particular the dry strength in the machine direction (MD), cross direction (CD), and the wet strength in the machine direction (MD) are improved. The elongation in the machine direction (MD) is also improved.

Moreover, the "disintegrability" function of the paper according to the invention is advantageously preserved.

* * * * *


uspto.report is an independent third-party trademark research tool that is not affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) or any other governmental organization. The information provided by uspto.report is based on publicly available data at the time of writing and is intended for informational purposes only.

While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information displayed on this site. The use of this site is at your own risk. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

All official trademark data, including owner information, should be verified by visiting the official USPTO website at www.uspto.gov. This site is not intended to replace professional legal advice and should not be used as a substitute for consulting with a legal professional who is knowledgeable about trademark law.

© 2024 USPTO.report | Privacy Policy | Resources | RSS Feed of Trademarks | Trademark Filings Twitter Feed